Noodoll x Fuzzy Peaks

I have been felting for just over a year and like all the other crafts I do, it was a skill that was passed down to me from my mum and nan. I come from a very crafty/artistic family and there's nothing we like more than trying our hand at a new skill. It's not uncommon to find all four generations (my mum, nan and two little girls) of my family together in a room doing something creative. Needle felting is a craft that I have developed a real passion for and I'm looking forward to developing my technique and seeing where my little felted creations take me. 

 

My dream is to have my own spacious studio with a mountain view... I currently have a corner of our living room but hey we all have to start somewhere. Also at the moment I'm kind of glad its visible within the family home and not tucked away somewhere. It's really important to me that my girls grow up seeing me work and hopefully that will inspire their creativity. I have the best memories of watching my nan and mum 'play' as they like to call it. Another bonus of having my 'studio' in our living room is that when my husband puts something boring on the TV my felting needle is never far away. As I work in a hospital during the day a typical weekday 'felting-sesh' would be me sat in my PJ's felting into the early hours once I had put my girls to bed. At the weekend if I get a chance to felt I usually have some little helpers sat with me

 

I'm one of those people that are forever coming up with ideas so a sketch book is never far away. If I haven't got anything to hand I often message my ideas to my mum or husband, which is always funny as they often have no idea what I'm going on about. Once I have an idea I tend to just jump straight in and start making. I've never been one for much planning, which with needle felting is great because nothing is beyond repair. You can add, subtract and remold things with just your needle and snippers. 

Stan Sasquash and Yoko Yeti are actually based on my husband and I. It was important to me that my characters had personalities that people could relate to and hopefully fall in love with.  As I have been with my husband for over half my life it just seemed natural to base these characters upon us. So Yoko Yeti is me and she is the sensible geeky one. She loves learning and being creative. She has a real silly side that comes out to play when Stan is around.  The name Yoko comes from the nickname my parents-in-law gave me as in our younger years my hubby and I used to spend hours lazing around in bed...like the famous John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Stan Sasquatch is my husband and he is a cheeky chappy that likes to get up to mischief. Like Peter pan he will never grow up and is fundamentally a big kid! Stan is just a play on my husband's name Dan.

 

This year Stan and Yoko will be hanging out in Ricetown with their new friends the ricemonsters. In real life we will be enjoying a family Christmas at home with our girls, my parents and their dog Ernie or as my girls like to call him 'The Ernster'.

In the world of Fuzzy Peaks Stan and Yoko have only just met and are in the dating stage, however I have a whole 18 years of stories to tell so there are lots more to come. They met in the Welsh mountains when they were kids and have traveled all over the world having mountain adventures ever since. I don't want to give too much away but there will be some funny stories from their time living in Canada and spoiler alert there will be a wedding and baby 'Yesquashes' (yes I have made up a new species).

I say go for it! It's taken me far too long to build up the courage to put myself out there. Working in a hospital has made me realise you only live once and to take life with both hands. If you want something to happen go out and get it. If it's something you are passionate about the long hours, hard work and sacrifices will all be worth it! Look at me I'm working with Noodoll!

This is a real hard question as I'm a big advocate for shopping small and supporting independent designers. If I had won the lottery my shopping list would be ridiculously large as there are so many inspiring talented people out there that I admire and would love to own some of their work. On my modest NHS salary my list is a little smaller. For the girls I have got some lovely bits from Noodoll (of course), Kiko+ & gg*, Momiji, Babipur, Boss Babs, Mutha Hood, Little Poms, Little Munchkins and Monkey, Moo & Boo and Wildlings Interiors. For myself I have dropped several rather large hints to my hubby for anything from Alex Monroe, Lucy and Yak or Donna Wilson, although I'm not hopeful as he likes to buy "practical" presents like walking boots or waterproofs. 

Make sure you're following us on Instagram for the big reveal, coming on Christmas Eve. Check out Carlie's work as Fuzzy Peaks here and follow the adventures of Yoko Yeti and Stan Sasquash.